Retirement of Old Glory by fire postponed by weather, out of respect for victims, responders to blazes

Though dry weather kept Broomfield's annual flag retirement ceremony from including the traditional fires, the event helped participants honor their country and remember those who help battle wildfires across the state.

The ninth annual Flag Day ceremony took place Friday at the Broomfield Amphitheater in Community Park.

The ceremony, presented by North Metro Fire Rescue District, the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum and Broomfield, paid tribute to the Stars and Stripes while teaching the community about the flag retirement process.

This year's ceremony also took a moment to remember the people affected by Colorado's wildfires and the firefighters and first responders who are battling the blazes.

The flag retirement usually involves burning the retired flags in a traditional ceremony. No fires were lit this year because of high winds and hot temperatures that hovered in the 90s.

"We ask that you keep these folks in mind today," he said. "Considering the 9,000 calls (the fire department) takes each year, the performance they have is simply amazing."

The Broomfield Police and North Metro honor guards started the ceremony by lowering and retiring a flag flown over the city's nearby Broomfield 9/11 Memorial while the silent audience paid tribute with their hands over their hearts.

Paul Murphy, a local veteran and survivor of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Then, the honor guard cut away the blue field of stars from the 13 stripes on the flag that had flown over the 9/11 Memorial. They placed the two pieces in separate cannisters, but announced that they would wait to burn the flags until a later date.

Officials invited the audience to grab a pair of scissors and help prepare more than 200 more flags to be retired.

RESPECTFUL RETIREMENT: Etiquette calls for the field of stars to be separated from the stripes before a flag is burned. (David R. Jennings / Broomfield Enterprise)

The patriotic event drew about 30 people, which is about a third of the typical crowd, said Vance Rasmussen of the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum.

Boy Scouts who usually help with the service and bring their families were away at Boy Scout camp and couldn't attend, he said.

Yet the event drew many first-time participants, who said they were learning about the flag retirement process for the first time.

"It's really important for people to learn about how to take care of our flags. You never know who might be just throwing theirs away," said Cathleen Erichsen, who attended the event with her husband, Bob. The couple donated a flag of their own before the ceremony.

Chris Reichert, another first-time participant, said she liked the hands-on element of the event.

"It's wonderful to know that the flag is treated with this kind of respect here," she said.

Honoring the country was a big draw for participants, but many also had personal stories that motivated them to attend.

Larry Haas came to the Flag Day event to remember his father, John Haas.

John Haas, who died 20 years ago, would have been 95 on the day of the ceremony.

John Haas was an Army veteran who never complained about his time in the military, but inspired his son with his service. Larry Haas teared up as he remembered his father.

"I always think of my father on Flag Day because that's his birthday, and I wanted to honor him," Larry Haas said.

SEPARATING STARS AND STRIPES: Ethan Burke, 5, cuts the field of stars from a flag Friday during the Flag Retirement Ceremony at the Broomfield Amphitheater. See more photos, video at BroomfieldEnterprise.com. (David R. Jennings / Broomfield Enterprise)

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